Trees Water & People

Trees, Water & People is committed to improving people's lives by helping communities to protect, conserve and manage the natural resources upon which their long-term well-being depends. We believe that natural resources are best protected when local people play an active role in their care and management.

Thank you for helping us become FULLY FUNDED!

By Richard Fox - Executive Director

Empowering rural farmers w/ climate adaptation

Thanks to the caring and generosity of many donors, including YOU, our project to help build the Nicaraguan Center for Forests, Energy & Climate has been fully funded! The donations raised will help Trees, Water & People (TWP) and our local partners begin the first phase of the Center, constructing dormitories to house visitors from all walks of lives who are interested in climate adaptation in a rapidly changing world.

Once the Center is complete, it will serve as a world-class educational resource for climate adadptation and mitigation in Latin America. For communities who are marginalized and already struggling to survive, the knowledge gained here is power. The Center will connect students, researchers, practioners, civil organizations, farmers, and local leaders, creating a community of engaged and active citizens. Thank you for being a part of this community with your support on GlobalGiving!

We hope you will stay connected with our work. You can do this in several ways:

- Join our email list to receive periodic updates about the new Center and other TWP projects. To join click here.

Planting Trees, Growing Community

By Richard Fox - Executive Director

Pine Ridge Tree Planting

To date, Trees, Water & People’s Planting Tribal Trees for Climate Change pilot project has successfully reforested approximately 30 acres of land on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. We planted 10,000 native Ponderosa Pine seeds that were grown at the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) greenhouses in Fort Collins, Colorado and transported safely to the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center (RCREC) greenhouse in South Dakota in May 2015. Under the leadership of Trees, Water & People (TWP) and Lakota Solar Enterprises (LSE), seven local Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) members and nine additional volunteers were trained how to properly plant the trees. The tribal members were compensated for their time over the two week period by the US Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), providing employment and incentive for their new reforestation skills.

This was an exciting collaborative opportunity to work with the OST President’s Office and the BIA, who have both expressed interest in continuing this important environmental project. The multi-year goal is to reforest more of the 20,000 acres of land at Pine Ridge destroyed by wildfires over the last two decades. TWP is committed to supporting this long-term effort and we hope you will join us in planting thousands of more trees on tribal lands!

What can you do to help spread the word?

Forward this email to your friends and family

Share the project on Facebook! Copy and paste this link and tell people why you support tree planting on tribal lands: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/pine-ridge-reforestation/

Make a donation before the end of the year and receive a tax-deduction

Stay tuned for updates as we make plans for 2016. Happy Holidays!

Planting trees is hard work!

Planting trees creates community

Oct 27, 2015

Next Step: Raising the Roof!

By Richard Fox - Executive Director

Raise the roof!

"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men." ~Herman Melville

It has been humbling to see so many people, from many walks of life, coming together to help build a new home for the Shields family. With a diversity of hands and hearts working to make this house a home, we are reminded how lucky we are to have such a generous community of supporters creating dignified housing for a family in need.

Over the past few weeks, we have seen rapid progress in the construction of the compressed earth block (CEB) home for the Shields family. Our dedicated crew, led by Assistant National Director, John Motley, EARTHinBLOCK, and Lakota Solar Enterprises, has been working hard to get the home buttoned up before the winter hits. Along with many volunteer groups from around the country, they have all the walls up, doors and windows installed, radiant floor heating, and insulation on the walls. In addition, they started constructing the roof, with metal finish to follow.

What's next?

Finish the roof

Stucco the outside

Get the interior walls up

Install electric and water

Dry wall the ceiling and interior

We are past the half way mark of our fundraising goal. In order to finish the Shields' home, we need to reach our fundraising goal of $10,000. Can you share this project with your friends and family and ask them to make a donation?

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